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After arriving in Heidelberg on Good Friday, on Saturday 82 Cambridge participants from 6 groups and clubs were welcomed to the twentieth Cambridge-Heidelberg Easter Festival, with particular mention of the young people from the Shelford Rugby Club, which was participating for the first time, Homerton Gymnastics Club, and the CSD Band, for whom it was the first Festival in Heidelberg. Dr Bess, Burgermeister of Heidelberg, noted that three former mayors of Cambridge, Peter and Eddie Cowell, and Joye Rosenstiel, were present; they were given small mementoes of Heidelberg.
The opening reception enabled participants to mix and chat. Afterwards, the group leaders met for a evening meal and discussion of the week�s programme.
The weather on Saturday had been very pleasant, with glorious sunshine, even though the temperature was a little cool. But Sunday was a surprise, starting with over an inch of snow that lay through the day in secluded areas and on the mountain slopes above the city, covering the young leaves of the trees. "Happy Easter" was said, but it felt as though "Happy Christmas" would have been more appropriate, and Cambridge visitors had a opportunity to see what Heidelberg looked like in winter.
For all groups, Easter was a family day, ending with an excellent concert given by the CSD Band and their host group, the Orchesterverein Handschuhsheim.
Each host group had planned an exciting programme, for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, for their guests. On Thursday, all groups were invited to participate in a grand Cooking Working-shop, to demonstrate and acquire skills in the preparation of dishes from across Europe, the results of which were eaten at the Gala Evening that evening.
The final gala evening was attended by about 250 people including two local German MPs, two Heidelberg City Councillors, and Dr Bess, Mayor of Heidelberg.
The Under-13s from Shelford Rugby Club had lost a match, won a match, and come 2nd in a tournament involving five teams, including one from France. They performed a "Haka" to the words of "Humpty Dumpty" at the gala evening.
Homerton Gymnasts had used the large training space available in Heidelberg to develop their group work, where gymnasts support each other. The results were apparent during the display at the final gala evening. Ability to perform precise movements were also evident in a joke routine developed by the boys, in which they acted as policeman, ballerina, base-ball player, snooker player and snow-shoveller, waving pieces of broom handle around, always just missing the next boy as he himself moved up or down.
The gymnasts had spent an evening discovering more about Europe. They had worked hard and had a lot of fun. By the end of the week only the clothes indicated which gymnasts came from which city. In the final display, some of the by now mixed group appeared with tennis rackets and hockey sticks etc to show the other sports that would also like to be involved in exchanges.
Participants of the twentieth Cambridge-Heidelberg Easter Festival returned from Heidelberg after a week full of entertaining and interesting events, organised by host families, groups, and the Heidelberg Partnership Committee.
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(This page was last updated 22 April 2007)